Chapter Ten
Hawke and Fenris slipped out of the ballroom after gathering their equipment and swiftly redressing in their clothes and armor. Hawke tried not to stare at all the loud and open rutting going on all around them, but found it impossible to ignore. There were tits, cocks, and bare ass for miles. Nothing she had heard about Tevinter orgies had actually prepared her for the stark reality, or starkers reality, as the case may be.
She was trying not to think about the fact that she and Fenris had just had sex in front of hundreds of people, or acknowledge that she had enjoyed it immensely and actually felt a bit of a thrill with all the eyes on them. What kind of person did that make her?
Fenris took her arm to lead her away, and they walked to one of the passages used only by slaves. Just inside the doorway, a brunette elf woman wearing the black and red house colors of Danarius, stepped into their path and bowed low before them.
"Please follow me, I am to lead you to where Master wishes you to wait for him."
She took off at a brisk pace and they followed her without comment, Hawke becoming lost in her thoughts again while they navigated a maze of halls, doorways and rooms. It was only when Fenris yanked the other elf to a stop that Hawke realized how far they had gone, nearly to the outer courtyard where all the carriages were.
"Where are you leading us?" Fenris asked in a menacing hiss.
The slave didn't flinch or cower away from him, just looked beyond him to Hawke and extended her free hand, showing a gold trinket she had clutched in her palm.
"Flemeth's locket," Hawke gasped, instantly recognizing it. She looked at the female elf in astonishment and witnessed a complete transformation of expression. Gone was the frightened, subservient slave, and a clever, dangerous looking person stared at each of them in turn.
"I'm Miri. Carver says we must hurry, there is little time left to us to flee."
Barely two heartbeats passed as Fenris and Hawke locked eyes before Hawke reached out and took the locket and pulled Fenris away from Miri, then nodded.
"Lead on, we will follow you."
They made it to the far edge of the courtyard, where Miri knelt and pulled three dark cloaks from behind a dense bush and distributed them, waiting until they were all covered. A moment later, they were crouched behind the tallest hedge, and Miri put her hands to her mouth, and made a sound exactly like a calling nightingale.
The loud barks of a dog sounded very near by, and Miri jerked her chin in that direction, then began to creep from carriage to carriage, keeping to the inky shadows, and Hawke and Fenris followed closely behind. They stopped beside a very large, ornate carriage, and the little elf opened the door and silently slipped in, beckoning them to do the same.
"There are compartments to hide in beneath the cushioned seats," Miri whispered after she shut the door, closing them in complete, pitch black. "You'll have to be in the large one together, and I'll take the smaller one."
Through touch alone, they managed to get the benches open, and Fenris and Hawke placed their weapons at the bottom of the compartment after removing the cloaks, then climbed on top of them while the lid was lowered over them, sounds of fabric shifting as the cushions were rearranged on top, then all fell silent a moment later.
Time turned into a slow eternity of endless seconds as Hawke lay pressed against Fenris, his front to her back, sweat beading on their skin and dripping off of them in the tight, hot space. She had pulled off her gauntlets when they laid down, and so had Fenris, and she reached for one of his hands, squeezing his long, slender fingers in her grip. She had been fighting panic since they climbed in, never having liked the feeling of being in a tight space, and the extreme heat made it that much worse.
Sternly, she tried to order herself to be calm and relaxed, but her heart galloped ever faster and her breath rushed in and out in louder and louder gasps as her panic grew. All the armor they wore on top of their clothing made the feeling of being trapped intensify. It took everything in Hawke, every drop of her will to keep from throwing off the lid of the hiding place and bursting out. Cooler air suddenly flowed across the sweat on her neck and cheek, and she sighed at the blessed relief, the panic slowly and surely beginning to recede as she gained control over herself once more.
Finally, she loosened her death grip on Fenris' hand and he stopped blowing on her after another minute. "Better?" he asked in a mere thread of sound, his lips against her ear. She nodded and squeezed his fingers again in gratitude, and they settled into more hot waiting, both of them going tense when the carriage rocked and they heard someone climbing in, the distinctive clank of armor and the low whuff of a dog sounding very nearby when one of the doors slammed shut.
Someone settled on the bench above them, and Aurah and Fenris froze, scarcely daring to breath, in their bid to be completely silent and avoid discovery. They jostled around in the tight space when the carriage began to move. After they traveled for a short while, the sounds of the galloping horses grew louder as a whip cracked and their pace increased.
"Aurah, are you alright?" came a voice from above their hiding place, and sudden tears sprang to her eyes as she choked out a reply.
"I'm here, Carver. We're fine." Fenris tightened his arm around her when another voice spoke.
"We'll get you out as soon as we can. Just a bit longer, to be safe. It should happen any time now..."
Silence fell again for another small eternity, until a loud boom of thunder sounded, and the carriage vibrated with the force of it. Carver's voice spoke again, tinged with amazement.
"Holy shit! Was that it?"
The other man answered, his voice low. "Yes, that was it. Let's get them out."
Bright light blinded them when the top of the bench was thrown open, the lantern light flooding the compartment. Carver pulled Aurah out and hauled her into a bone-cracking embrace when he sat down with her on the opposite bench, then held her at arm's length to look at her.
"You look well enough, but are you truly?" His brows furrowed, and she could see the distant fear lurking in his eyes that she had suffered every time she wondered what had happened to her brother. She plastered on her most confident smile to try to reassure him.
"I'm perfectly well, but what about you? Any injuries I need to heal?" Feeling eyes on her, she glanced over to see the very same Magister she had watched from the window with the dog, then glanced down to see the mabari regarding her with what she could only describe as a doggy smile. She nodded to the richly dressed man. "So, what exactly is all this? Am I to understand that we're your property now?"
He laughed and Carver smiled and shook his head, looking over as the petite elf, Miri, settled next to him, having been liberated from her cramped hiding place.
"Well, not that I wouldn't enjoy being master to a woman like you, in a very different and fully consensual setting, but I'm not really a Magister. My name is Anders." His smile widened and he winked when Fenris tensed where he was crouched on the floor of the carriage, and glowered at him darkly. Anders freed his shoulder length hair from the tie holding it back and shook it out, his smile fading. "Suffice it to say, Danarius took something very precious from me, and justice demanded I take action. With any luck, he is lying dead now with his debauched guests, beneath the rubble of his ruined palace."
Aurah gasped, exchanging a look of hope and disbelief with Fenris. The tattooed elf shifted and frowned. "You...killed him? Are you certain?"
Anders shrugged. "Unless he grew wings and flew away before the explosives went off, I'm fairly certain. It's unlikely anyone on that side of the estate survived such a blast."
Looking down, Aurah swallowed against a tight throat. "But...all those people, even the slaves too? You killed innocents?"
He nodded, his expression troubled. "It is regrettable, of course, but there was no other way to accomplish it. Danarius was far too well protected, and I had no wish to die in a doomed attempt to confront him." He smiled gently, catching Aurah's gaze. "Perhaps a quick death is preferable to a life of slavery and extended suffering."
"You know nothing of the life of a slave, mage," Fenris spat in a low voice. "Don't pretend to."
Anders crossed his arms and regarded the angry elf in front of him bristling with aggression, his markings glowing faintly. "Perhaps not, but I spent most of my life as a prisoner under the power of some very cruel jailers, and that's not a life worth living. I can't imagine slavery under the Magisters would be any better. But if you find you prefer it and want to go back, we can stop and let you out."
Fenris growled in anger, half rising with clenched fists, and Aurah leaned forward and rested a hand on his arm, drawing his eyes to hers with a pleading look. His anger drained from him and he nodded, lowering himself back into a seated position.
Aurah sighed. "Where are we headed now? I assume you have the next step planned out." She looked between Anders and Carver.
Carver leaned forward and ran a hand through his dark hair. "There's a ship just outside the harbor. And there's a smaller boat we'll take to row out to it. The captain is a friend of Anders, and has promised she can take us as far as Rivain. Beyond that, we'll have to figure out how to get to Kirkwall on our own and find mother."
"You'll come with me, won't you, Fenris? Come to Kirkwall?" She gripped her hands tightly together and held her breath while she looked at him.
He gave her a ghost of a smile. "I will go with you, Aurah. As I told you before that I would."
She smiled. "Good, that's settled then. Now, to make it to the ship."
Fenris picked up his sword and secured it to his back, then climbed the rope ladder, the last one off the little boat they had rowed all the way to where The Siren's Call was anchored. He and Carver had rowed them there, the two of them being the only ones with sufficient muscle and endurance to accomplish the task. He hopped lightly over the railing and landed on the deck, and Hawke pressed close to him.
"I think that woman there is the captain," she said with a nod toward a scantily dressed, dark-skinned, busty woman, who was obviously flirting with Anders, Carver and Miri before she cut her gaze to the couple standing against the railing.
She approached them, her hips swaying provocatively and smiled. "Aren't you two a welcome sight for the eyes? Welcome aboard. I'm Isabela, captain of this ship and gateway to your freedom. I'm sure you're tired after the long night you've had." The captain glanced back at the blonde mage and smiled. "Anders can get you all settled while I see to getting us underway."
Hawke smiled. "Thank you for your help. Fenris and I owe you our lives for getting us out of Minrathous."
Isabela laughed. "Don't worry, you sweet thing, Anders has already paid me very well to get you all to Rivain. But if he hadn't, I would have let you earn your passage." She smirked. "In some pleasant way or another."
Fenris sighed, realizing he would have to get used to listening to other people flirt with Hawke, and Isabela chuckled while she watched his expression. "Ah, I think I see signs of a jealous lover, hmm?"
Hawke tilted her head and gave Fenris a warm smile, while he ignored the captain's comment. They both followed Anders when he called them, down into the hold to the small cabin they would be sharing. Carver, Fenris and Aurah all removed their weapons and armor, stacking everything in piles near the door.
There were only two cots there, so Anders went to keep Isabela and Miri company on deck, claiming he was not yet tired enough for sleep. Carver looked at the white-haired elf and frowned and waved at the cot closest to him.
"Aurah, you can sleep over here with me."
She snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Carver. You're much too brawny to share a cot with anyone, and Fenris and I have shared a bed for more than half a year. I'm not sure I would even be able to sleep without him."
Carver blushed and half turned away from her. "Well…. Just mind you don't do anything but sleep, not with me in the room."
"Really, brother, I think we're capable of controlling our urges for a few hours," she said dryly. Narrowing her eyes, she smirked, amused that Fenris and Carver were both blushing. "Although, if I experience an overpowering need to ride Fenris like a horse, I'll warn you first."
Fenris coughed awkwardly while the youngest Hawke sat on the edge of his cot and glared at her. "Maker, Aurah, why are you this way?"
She wiggled her toes once freed of boots and shrugged. "You'd be bored if I wasn't. How exactly did you manage to hang on to Flemeth's locket?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "What, like it was hard?" Carver laid back on the cot, laced his hands together and rested them beneath his head.
Aurah put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "You weren't searched? Or stripped and bathed by house slaves?"
His brows furrowed and he shook his head. "Never. But...that means you were?"
"Yes." She glanced at Fenris, who was staring down at his hands with a dark look.
"Danarius was always particular about how he wanted his slaves kept, and newer slaves especially." Fenris met Carver's eyes briefly, then looked away and walked to the cot and laid down, turning to face the wooden wall.
Carver grunted and scrubbed a hand across his face, then yawned. "At least that bastard is dead now." He rolled over and curled up and closed his eyes.
Aurah went and sat on the edge of the cot beside Fenris, took a deep breath and released it slowly. So much had happened so quickly, and she hadn't really had a chance to process it all. She had drempt of escape every single day she had spent in captivity, and now, they were…
She laid down and wrapped her arms around Fenris' waist and buried her face against his back. Aurah breathed in his scent and shuddered, whispering, "We're free, Fenris. Free."
"Free," he murmured.
In time, he hoped to discover what that really meant.
~o~